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Selections from Fragile Things #3
Selections from Fragile Things, Volume Three: 5 Short Fictions and Wonders
“A prodigiously imaginative collection.”
—New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice
“Dazzling tales from a master of the fantastic.”—Washington Post Book World
Fragile Things is a sterling collection of exceptional tales from Neil Gaiman, multiple award-winning (the Hugo, Bram Stoker, Newberry, and Eisner Awards, to name just a few), #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Graveyard Book, Anansi Boys, Coraline, and the groundbreaking Sandman graphic novel series. A uniquely imaginative creator of wonders whose unique storytelling genius has been acclaimed by a host of literary luminaries from Norman Mailer to Stephen King, Gaiman’s astonishing powers are on glorious displays in Fragile Things. Enter and be amazed!
—New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice
“Dazzling tales from a master of the fantastic.”—Washington Post Book World
Fragile Things is a sterling collection of exceptional tales from Neil Gaiman, multiple award-winning (the Hugo, Bram Stoker, Newberry, and Eisner Awards, to name just a few), #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Graveyard Book, Anansi Boys, Coraline, and the groundbreaking Sandman graphic novel series. A uniquely imaginative creator of wonders whose unique storytelling genius has been acclaimed by a host of literary luminaries from Norman Mailer to Stephen King, Gaiman’s astonishing powers are on glorious displays in Fragile Things. Enter and be amazed!
- GenresFantasy
500 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 23, 2009
5 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 10, 2011
A singularly “hellish” therapy session with a demon...
A nasty pair of gentlemen doing even nastier things...
A bizarre circus leading back to the primitive...
YEP, Neil Gaiman is spinning GEMS again!!!
Fragile Things, Comprehensive Review Part 3. As I mentioned in my reviews of Parts 1 and 2, this short story collection is in my All Time Top 5 for best single author compilation of short fiction ever. Since the stories are now available in ebook format as multiple selections (each containing up to 9 stories depending on the length), I thought it might be helpful to do a more detailed review for each story which this format accommodates nicely. Otherwise, I would have ended up skipping over stories or doing one giant monstrous review that may have just been too much. Anyway, hopefully this is helpful***.
***NOTE: Each of the six different "Fragile Things" selections will have their own review but the opening paragraph above will be substantially similar in each. I wanted to try and have each review stand on its own as well as contribute to the overall whole. Therefore, if you are reading this note for the first time and want to read the other 5 reviews, you can skip down to the BEGIN REVIEW for the other installments.
BEGIN REVIEW:
This selection contains the following stories:
1. Other People,
2. Keepsakes and Treasures,
3. Good Boys Deserve Favors,
4. The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch, and
5. Strange Little Girls.
Overall, these next 5 pieces get a solid 5.0 stars with 3 of the 5 stories being big old yummy STANDOUTS: Other People, Keepsakes and Treasures and The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch .
This group of stories starts off with Other People which is among my favorites in the entire book. Gaiman pulled me into the story with the first two sentences:
From that subtle, economical opening Gaiman goes on to tell a most chilling and psychologically disturbing story. The sense of horror in this story is much more emotional and is not accomplished by filling the story with buckets of blood, gore and/or torture. It's the breakdown of a human being by their own evil that is so terrifying. It is hard to call a persons encounter with a demon in hell beautiful, but I can not think of a better way to describe this story than darkly beautiful. 6.0 stars
Next is another standout short story called Keepsakes and Treasures. In addition to being an exceptional piece, this tale is praise worthy for its introduction of the diabolical duo of Mr. Alice and Mr. Smith***. These are two of Gaiman’s more intriguing and memorable players (which is really saying something). Mr. Smith narrates the tale and we learn a little about his life and the fact that he is a very, very BAD guy. Mr. Smith works for the equally nasty Mr. Alice, who is described as among the richest, most powerful men in the world. So rich in fact that he is able to remain completely anonymous.
Mr. Alice has bizarre sexual desires and the crux of the story is Mr. Smith arranging the acquisition for him of a young boy from an obscure tribe whose only asset is their ability to produce “the most beautiful males in the world.” A wonderfully written, exceptional story about some extremely unsavory people. 5.0 to 5.5 stars.
***By the way, this is the same Mr. Smith and Mr. Alice that appear in the novella “Monarch of the Glen” which is a sequel to American Gods.
The third story is my least favorite in the collection, Good Boys Deserve Favors. It is a well told, but unremarkable (in my opinion) story about a boy, a music teacher and a large Bass instrument. Okay, but nothing that I would recommend. 2.5 stars.
Next up is another standout called The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch. A wonderfully mind-boggling story about an unlikable lady, a group of friends and a nutter night spent at a bizarre circus-like stage performance. I have read this twice and enjoyed it much more the second time around. A terrific, terrific story. 5.0 stars.
The Last piece in this selection is Strange Little Girls which is a series of descriptive fragments created by Gaiman for the Tori Amos CD of the same name. Clever and interesting but probably more memorable if you have the CD in front of you while reading it. 3.5 stars.
Well, that does it for this selection. I do want to point out again for those interested in audio books that all of these stories are available as unabridged readings by Neil Gaiman himself. It is hard to imagine anyone doing a better job reading his stories than he can. He is a tremendous narrator and I would certainly recommend checking it out if you have the chance.
Next up in Volume 4:
Harlequin Valentine,
Locks,
The Problem of Susan,
Instructions,
How Do You Think It Feels?,
My Life,
Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot,
Feeders and Eaters,
and Diseasemaker's Croup.
Here is the link to the review of next set of stories My review of Fragile Things Part IV begins here
A nasty pair of gentlemen doing even nastier things...
A bizarre circus leading back to the primitive...
YEP, Neil Gaiman is spinning GEMS again!!!
Fragile Things, Comprehensive Review Part 3. As I mentioned in my reviews of Parts 1 and 2, this short story collection is in my All Time Top 5 for best single author compilation of short fiction ever. Since the stories are now available in ebook format as multiple selections (each containing up to 9 stories depending on the length), I thought it might be helpful to do a more detailed review for each story which this format accommodates nicely. Otherwise, I would have ended up skipping over stories or doing one giant monstrous review that may have just been too much. Anyway, hopefully this is helpful***.
***NOTE: Each of the six different "Fragile Things" selections will have their own review but the opening paragraph above will be substantially similar in each. I wanted to try and have each review stand on its own as well as contribute to the overall whole. Therefore, if you are reading this note for the first time and want to read the other 5 reviews, you can skip down to the BEGIN REVIEW for the other installments.
BEGIN REVIEW:
This selection contains the following stories:
1. Other People,
2. Keepsakes and Treasures,
3. Good Boys Deserve Favors,
4. The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch, and
5. Strange Little Girls.
Overall, these next 5 pieces get a solid 5.0 stars with 3 of the 5 stories being big old yummy STANDOUTS: Other People, Keepsakes and Treasures and The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch .
This group of stories starts off with Other People which is among my favorites in the entire book. Gaiman pulled me into the story with the first two sentences:
“Time is fluid here,” said the demon. He knew it was a demon the moment he saw it. He knew it, just as he knew the place was Hell. There was nothing else that either of them could have been.With those first two sentences, Gaiman creates a real sense of atmosphere and place so that you are instantly in the middle of the story without the need for a long, detailed introduction.
From that subtle, economical opening Gaiman goes on to tell a most chilling and psychologically disturbing story. The sense of horror in this story is much more emotional and is not accomplished by filling the story with buckets of blood, gore and/or torture. It's the breakdown of a human being by their own evil that is so terrifying. It is hard to call a persons encounter with a demon in hell beautiful, but I can not think of a better way to describe this story than darkly beautiful. 6.0 stars
Next is another standout short story called Keepsakes and Treasures. In addition to being an exceptional piece, this tale is praise worthy for its introduction of the diabolical duo of Mr. Alice and Mr. Smith***. These are two of Gaiman’s more intriguing and memorable players (which is really saying something). Mr. Smith narrates the tale and we learn a little about his life and the fact that he is a very, very BAD guy. Mr. Smith works for the equally nasty Mr. Alice, who is described as among the richest, most powerful men in the world. So rich in fact that he is able to remain completely anonymous.
Mr. Alice has bizarre sexual desires and the crux of the story is Mr. Smith arranging the acquisition for him of a young boy from an obscure tribe whose only asset is their ability to produce “the most beautiful males in the world.” A wonderfully written, exceptional story about some extremely unsavory people. 5.0 to 5.5 stars.
***By the way, this is the same Mr. Smith and Mr. Alice that appear in the novella “Monarch of the Glen” which is a sequel to American Gods.
The third story is my least favorite in the collection, Good Boys Deserve Favors. It is a well told, but unremarkable (in my opinion) story about a boy, a music teacher and a large Bass instrument. Okay, but nothing that I would recommend. 2.5 stars.
Next up is another standout called The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch. A wonderfully mind-boggling story about an unlikable lady, a group of friends and a nutter night spent at a bizarre circus-like stage performance. I have read this twice and enjoyed it much more the second time around. A terrific, terrific story. 5.0 stars.
The Last piece in this selection is Strange Little Girls which is a series of descriptive fragments created by Gaiman for the Tori Amos CD of the same name. Clever and interesting but probably more memorable if you have the CD in front of you while reading it. 3.5 stars.
Well, that does it for this selection. I do want to point out again for those interested in audio books that all of these stories are available as unabridged readings by Neil Gaiman himself. It is hard to imagine anyone doing a better job reading his stories than he can. He is a tremendous narrator and I would certainly recommend checking it out if you have the chance.
Next up in Volume 4:
Harlequin Valentine,
Locks,
The Problem of Susan,
Instructions,
How Do You Think It Feels?,
My Life,
Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot,
Feeders and Eaters,
and Diseasemaker's Croup.
Here is the link to the review of next set of stories My review of Fragile Things Part IV begins here
September 30, 2021
This second compilation of Gaiman's short stories from Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders and poems contains some entries that have occurred in other collections, including the following:-
■ Other People - 5⭐ - So this is what it means by eternal damnation!
■ Keepsakes and Treasures - 4⭐ - Unconventional love story.
■ Good Boys Deserve Favors - 3⭐ -Honestly, as a former music student, the end of this story was quite sad.
■ The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch - 3⭐ - Exotic actor's friend couple sets him up with a blind date for their double date at The Theatre of Night's Dreaming, a bizarre circus carnival type event set in musty underground caverns. Interesting artwork by Zulli.
■ Strange Little Girls - 1⭐ -Felt like a collection of disjointed stories that make little to no sense, unless you've listened to Tori Amos' Strange Little Girl Album.
■ Other People - 5⭐ - So this is what it means by eternal damnation!
■ Keepsakes and Treasures - 4⭐ - Unconventional love story.
■ Good Boys Deserve Favors - 3⭐ -Honestly, as a former music student, the end of this story was quite sad.
■ The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch - 3⭐ - Exotic actor's friend couple sets him up with a blind date for their double date at The Theatre of Night's Dreaming, a bizarre circus carnival type event set in musty underground caverns. Interesting artwork by Zulli.
■ Strange Little Girls - 1⭐ -Felt like a collection of disjointed stories that make little to no sense, unless you've listened to Tori Amos' Strange Little Girl Album.
January 5, 2013
Excellent.
January 14, 2013
I need to be Neil Gaiman at some level PLEASE
November 28, 2013
fave volume to date. love every single story
genius
genius
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews